DEFENCE

Defence Transport and Movements Agency

Adam Ingram: With effect from 1 April 2007 the Defence Transport and Movements Agency (DTMA) will cease to hold agency status. This has been decided as part of restructuring within the supply chain element of the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO), and complements the future arrangements for the proposed merger of the DLO and the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA).
	The role of the DTMA is to provide defence and other authorised users with agreed transport and movements services world-wide in peace, crisis and war in order to support UK military capability, current and future. This role will remain unchanged after 1 April 2007. The agency was created in April 1999 and brought together existing MOD single service transport and movements branches into one organisation. Agency status helped to mould these groups into a cohesive organisation. However, since then the agency has merged with a number of other organisations and taken on a much broader role for the Department, with a greater operational focus.
	The DTMA reports directly through the MOD's supply chain professionals (DG log (supply chain)), and the agency has been obliged to answer for its performance within a tightly defined management framework. This will continue; the benefits originally sought from agency status will not be lost; good management practice will carry on under the new arrangements and removal will not affect the organisation's ability to meet customer requirements.
	I have therefore concluded that agency status for the DTMA should cease and that the organisation should adopt fully the title defence supply chain operations and movements (DSCOM). The chief executive will retain full accountability for the delivery of agency outputs in this final year, including preparing and laying before the House the final reports and accounts.

Annual Estimates (Ministry of Defence)

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence "Votes A Annual Estimate 2007-08", will be laid before the House on 20 February as HC 280. This outlines the maximum numbers of personnel to be maintained for service in the armed forces during financial year 2007-08.
	Copies of these reports will be made available in the Library of the House.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Police Authority Capital Grant

Tony McNulty: On 18 January 2006, the Home Office informed police authorities and police forces of their allocations of capital grant for 2006-07.
	The sums had been adjusted to take account of money which had been retained centrally to pay for the capital costs associated with police force mergers. I am pleased to be able to announce today that a further £25 million of capital is now available for distribution to police authorities. Following a review of Home Office capital pressures a further £25 million originally earmarked for restructuring will not now be distributed to police authorities.
	As a consequence of this additional money, the total amount of capital grant allocated to police authorities in 2006-07 will be £220 million. This compares to £210 million in 2005-06, an increase of 4.8 per cent.
	A breakdown of the allocation of this additional money is shown in the table attached. The money has been distributed in order to achieve the same outcome as would have been the case if it had been included in the original distribution.
	My officials are writing to police authorities and forces to inform them of this additional grant.
	
		
			 Police Capital Allocations 2006-07 
			  Original Allocation Extra Total Allocation 
			  £m £m £m 
			 Avon and Somerset Police Authority 4.268 0.554 4.821 
			 Bedfordshire Police Authority 1.789 0.221 2.010 
			 Cambridgeshire Police Authority 2.148 0.270 2.417 
			 Cheshire Police Authority 2.737 0.374 3.111 
			 City of London 1.553 0.190 1.744 
			 Cleveland Police Authority 2.201 0.273 2.474 
			 Cumbria Police Authority 1.556 0.192 1.748 
			 Derbyshire Police Authority 2.650 0.344 2.994 
			 Devon and Cornwall Police Authority 4.704 0.578 5.282 
			 Dorset Police Authority 1.753 0.217 1.969 
			 Durham Police Authority 2.118 0.264 2.382 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police Authority 1.352 0.171 1.523 
			 Essex Police Authority 3.952 0.549 4.502 
			 Gloucestershire Police Authority 1.577 0.198 1.775 
			 Greater Manchester Police Authority 9.917 1.267 11.184 
			 Gwent Police Authority 1.920 0.235 2.156 
			 Hampshire Police Authority 4.902 0.657 5.558 
			 Hertfordshire Police Authority 2.453 0.385 2.838 
			 Humberside Police Authority 2.982 0.369 3.351 
			 Kent Police Authority 4.538 0.600 5.138 
			 Lancashire Police Authority 4.678 0.595 5.273 
			 Leicestershire Police Authority 2.906 0.358 3.263 
			 Lincolnshire Police Authority 1.650 0.206 1.856 
			 Merseyside Police Authority 5.825 0.720 6.544 
			 Metropolitan Police Authority 51.547 6.552 58.098 
			 Norfolk Police Authority 2.272 0.287 2.559 
			 North Wales Police Authority 1.960 0.254 2.214 
			 North Yorkshire Police Authority 1.820 0.249 2.069 
			 Northamptonshire Police Authority 1.799 0.235 2.034 
			 Northumbria Police Authority 5.381 0.702 6.084 
			 Nottinghamshire Police Authority 3.163 0.407 3.570 
			 South Wales Police Authority 4.168 0.513 4.681 
			 South Yorkshire Police Authority 4.587 0.564 5.150 
			 Staffordshire Police Authority 2.914 0.358 3.273 
			 Suffolk Police Authority 1.868 0.231 2.099 
			 Surrey Police Authority 2.549 0.384 2.933 
			 Sussex Police Authority 3.827 0.531 4.357 
			 Thames Valley Police Authority 6.270 0.788 7.057 
			 Warwickshire Police Authority 1.752 0.260 2.011 
			 West Mercia Police Authority 3.111 0.385 3.496 
			 West Midlands Police Authority 10.521 1.344 11.865 
			 West Yorkshire Police Authority 7.720 0.959 8.678 
			 Wiltshire Police Authority 1.729 0.213 1.942 
			 Total 195.085 25.000 220.085 
			 NB In line with the revenue grant increase in 2006-07, the capital grant announced in early 2006 was calculated as a flat rate reduction for all (the 2005-06 total was 210 million). The £25 million uplift has been applied similarly.  Allocations include SCEs. The £25 million grant increases have been applied to police grant (as they would if full allocation had been possible early in 2006) not to SCEs.

Irish Nationals (Deportation)

Liam Byrne: Lin Homer, the director general of the immigration and nationality directorate, has today provided a comprehensive update to the Home Affairs Committee on the progress being made by the IND in deporting foreign national prisoners. In addition to this update, I would like to set out the Government's position on the deportation of Irish nationals.
	In my oral statement to the House on the prison estate, 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 32 I explained the Department was considering treating Irish citizens as a special case in respect of pursuing their deportation from the United Kingdom. A number of hon. Members have asked me to review the Government's position on deporting Irish nationals in the light of the acknowledged close historic and political ties between the UK and the Irish Republic and I have done so.
	Since April last year, we have ensured that all nationals from European economic area countries who have received custodial sentences in the United Kingdom for two years or more have been considered for deportation. This has led to deportation action being pursued against a number of Irish nationals who have committed criminal offences here.
	Following recent discussions with the Irish Government, I am able to confirm that the approach to be taken with Irish nationals will now be as follows:
	Irish citizens will only be considered for deportation where a court has recommended deportation in sentencing or where the Secretary of State concludes, due to the exceptional circumstances of the case, the public interest requires deportation.
	In reviewing our approach in this area we have taken into account the close historical, community and political ties between the United Kingdom and Ireland, along with the existence of the common travel area.
	Those Irish prisoners whose cases are not considered exceptional, whose sentences have expired and who are currently in custodial detention awaiting deportation will be released over the next week. I have already asked that the necessary arrangements be put in place to ensure that these prisoners receive proper supervision on their release from the probation service.

Prevention of Terrorism

Tony McNulty: I am pleased to say that in accordance with section 14(3) and 14(5) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC has completed the report on the operation of the Act in 2006, which will be laid before the House today.

PRIME MINISTER

Interception of Communications Commissioner/Intelligence Services Commissioner (Annual Reports)

Tony Blair: I have today laid before both Houses the report of the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the right hon. Sir Swinton Thomas, for 2005-06 (HC 315), and the report of the Intelligence Services Commissioner, the Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood, for 2005-06 (HC 314). As has been the practice in previous years, some sensitive information has been excluded from the reports in accordance with section 58(6) and section 60(4) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
	I am grateful to the Commissioners for their reports and the work that they have undertaken during their respective appointments.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Wind Farm (Suffolk Coast)

Malcolm Wicks: The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has granted consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for the construction of the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm.
	The consent is granted to Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Ltd., an Airtricity and Fluor joint venture. The development will be sited around 23 km from the Suffolk coast and has the potential to generate up to 500MW of electricity.
	The decision to grant consent was taken after a thorough consideration of the possible impacts of the project on a range of environmental and other issues and interests and of the advice received from a range of stakeholders, including statutory consultees on navigation and nature conservation issues. The Secretary of State concluded that the impacts envisaged by those making representations will either be of low significance or can be mitigated or avoided by the use of suitable conditions in the Electricity Act consent or in the licence for the project that is to be issued by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985.